One Step Closer
by totallygilmore
Summary: He'd do anything to have her back in his arms. And this plan, was that one step closer.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Glee. _I do, though, own my own writing. :)

* * *

><p>Sam Evans was probably the most happy of his family to be back in Lima, Ohio. His sister and his brother weren't <em>unhappy<em> per say, they were just confused—well, Stacy was—as to why they were here with their mother and their father was still back in Nashville. Stevie just missed their grandparent's backyard, in-ground pool. His mother, Nancy, was glad to be wherever a job and a stable home was for her children.

Nancy and Greg Evans decided to split up in early October. They had been fighting all the time, and they both decided it was unhealthy for their children to be growing up in an environment where their parents were screaming back and forth across the house about millions of things—most particularly bills. The fact that they also had not gotten along for a long time put a _huge_ strain on their marriage, resulting in the divorce that was processing through their attorneys. They finally agreed that it would be better for Nancy to take the children, because she was able to get a stable job, as well as a nice home back in Lima. And in Lima, their children had friends that would help them through hard times.

As Sam threw his cereal bowl in the dish pan, he listened to the silence of the house. After four months of listening to his parents fight every night, Sam was actually relieved. He loved both of them, but his parents fighting put stress on their whole family. And it wasn't good for him and most especially not for little Stacy and young Stevie.

"Mom!" Stacy called from the living room, where she was sitting in front of the small television set, with Stevie, watching cartoons as she ate her breakfast, "_Mommy!_"

The way she screamed scared both Sam and his mother, as they darted out to the room to make sure the seven-year old blonde was alright. She seemed to be.

"It's _snowing_!" the little girl squealed in delight.

Sam chuckled as his mother took a deep breath and let out a small smile.

"It _is_," Nancy replied to her daughter, as she looked out the window at the white, fluffy flakes that were falling from the sky and onto the frosted grass, "And that means we are going to have to turn off the cartoons and get going so we don't get stuck in any bad weather."

Both Stacy and Stevie groaned.

"Sam is going to have to leave early too," Nancy said, looking at her eldest son.

Sam nodded, picking up the keys to his grandpa's old truck that his grandfather had given him before they had left Nashville.

Stacy pulled herself up off the couch and Stevie off the floor.

"_Fine_," the middle-Evans child mumbled walking towards his book bag.

As the two youngest children scrambled for their lunched and book bags, Sam picked up his bag as well as his guitar and slung it over his shoulder. Before he got to the door, his mother reached out towards him.

"Be careful on the road," Nancy stated, hugging her son, "And remember that I love you. Have a good day."

Sam smiled, nodding, and headed out to his truck. If everything went the way he would hope it would today, it would be better than good.

xxx

The halls of William McKinley High School did not look a bit different to him. They looked the same as they had in the spring, when school let out, except for the millions of Winter Formal posters spread out amongst the boards and wall space.

Sam had managed to keep a low-profile throughout his first day back. It was not hard, given that he had spent most of the day in the main office and the schedule counselor's office. He wanted his return to be a surprise to certain people.

As he walked to his locker, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Rachel at her locker. He needed someone to help him carry out his plan and she seemed like the best choice. She had been the one who had suggested that he take Mercedes to prom after she decided that she was going to go with Jesse last spring.

"Hey Rachel," Sam called out, approaching the dark-haired, Broadway bound girl.

Rachel looked up from her locker. Her eyes widened at the sight of the blonde, Bieber-singing boy.

"—I was wondering if you had seen Mercedes today."

The dark-haired girl shrugged.

"Why should I care? It's not like she does. We used to be good friends and then even when she decides to come back to glee club and apologize to most everyone and dumps that boyfriend of hers, she decides to still ice me out."

_Drama. _

That was the first word that came to Sam's mind as Rachel slammed her locker shut.

"Look, I gotta go meet Finn for glee club. See you later."

The New York City-destined girl walked off, leaving Sam in the dust.

_Boyfriend?_ Mercedes had a boyfriend? Well, no, Rachel said that Mercedes had broken-up with this guy. But had his favorite diva moved on from him?

There was only one way to find out.

He marched towards the choir room, guitar in hand.

The first thing Sam spotted as he approached the familiar door was Quinn and Puck arguing. It looked like they were in a huge fight, loud enough that he could hear bits and pieces, even though he was outside the doorway and they were clear across the choir room.

"_I cannot believe you told her!_"

"_You can't frame her for something she didn't do!"_

"_There was no other way that we could get out daughter back!"_

"_You could have just been a part of her life. You chose not to keep her, Quinn. I wanted to. But you decided to let Shelby raise her. Shelby offered to let us be a part of Beth's life. Did you ever think that your plan could've backfired even if I hadn't told her? You screwed up your own chance to be in her life."_

"_I'm her mother! Not Shelby!"_

"_And now she may never know that, because of what you did."_

Clearly, when you moved away for the first few months of the school year, you missed quite _a lot_. Sam knew enough that the two were talking about their biological daughter, Beth, but other than that he was confused. Not that he should be. It was not his conversation. He was just eavesdropping, trying to get the nerve to walk-in to see Mercedes.

"Well, Sam Evans, are you going to stand there like a scared chicken or are you going to go in there and claim the girl you love?"

Sam snapped out of his thoughts and turned to come face to face with Kurt.

The counter-tenor was standing with Blaine, behind the eldest Evans boy.

"_Wha—_" Sam was about to ask how Kurt knew but he was quickly cut off.

"I _know_. Trust me. Who else would you be working up the nerve to walk-in to the choir room to see? Um, not Quinn, because she cheated on you. Definitely not Santana. And since you were dating Mercedes _before _you left Lima—which, by the way, I have not forgiven either of you for not telling me—it makes sense."

Kurt was right and there was no use telling him a lie, so all Sam said was, "When did Blaine join glee club?"

Blaine entwined his hand with Kurt's.

"Transferred at the beginning of the year, I couldn't stand to be away from the person I loved."

Kurt beamed at his boyfriend.

"And it seems that you can't either," the Hummel boy said to Sam, "So, if you don't go in there and talk to her _right now_, I swear I will—"

Sam put his hands up, surrendering, and, _finally_, walked through the William McKinley High School choir room doors.

If anyone wanted to ever quiet a room, they might as well use him, because the room got so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even Quinn and Puck had stopped arguing. Everyone was staring at him, mouths hanging open. Everyone that is, except for Mercedes. She was sitting on the far-left side of the choir room, staring down at her hands in her lap.

The words formed in his mouth before he could think about it.

"I'm Sam Evans. I'm back at McKinley," he took a deep breath, "And I'd like to audition for glee club."

Mr. Schuester stood up, trying to mask the slight surprise in his own voice.

"Okay, then," the Spanish teacher began, "Go ahead."

Sam positioned his guitar, beginning to strum.

"I'm singing _'One Step Closer'_. And this is for you, Mercedes," he pointed to the beautiful, chocolate-skinned diva.

_Woahhh ohh, hey hey  
>Listen<br>I can't keep chasing you around  
>all of this running just bringing me down<br>its got me down  
>Every time I look at you the angels sing<br>I hope you hear them too  
>ohhhhhhhh, oh<em>

_I hope you hear them too_  
><em>got me feeling hypnotized<em>  
><em>and girl it makes me feel alive<em>  
><em>Hey, yeah. <em>

_I'd climb the highest mountain_  
><em>and I'd sail across the sea<em>  
><em>baby for you I'd do anything<em>  
><em>I'd fly to the moon<em>  
><em>I'd paint your gray skies a beautiful blue<em>  
><em>just to get one step closer to you<em>

_Don't hesitate there's no better time than now baby_  
><em>the sky is falling down<em>  
><em>well baby are you down, down, down, down<em>

_I could wait forever and a day_  
><em>just to have you look my way (just look my way)<em>  
><em>look my way yeah<em>

_It's in every little thing I do_  
><em>'cause baby I do it all for you<em>

Sam marched over to Mercedes, as he sung, and she finally looked up.

"_Mercedes, you look beautiful tonight. Would you like to dance?"_

"_I'd love too."_

"_Do you think they know?"_

"_I don't think anyone knows."_

The memories came flooding back to her.

_I will write you a million love songs  
>just to hear you sing<br>baby for you I'd do anything_

_I'd fight superman_  
><em>Just to hold your hand<em>  
><em>I have to get one step closer to you<em>

And then, finally, she smiled. And that one smile was enough hope for him and for their future.

_I knew it from the start_  
><em>That I'd never break your heart<em>  
><em>If this ain't love then nothing else is<em>  
><em>I'd do anything for just one kiss<em>

_Yeah, I'd fight superman_  
><em>just to hold your hand<em>  
><em>have to get one step closer to you<em>

Mercedes, for the first time since she had broken-up with Shane, left, she felt happy-a real kind of happy. And as Sam drew closer to her, once more, she reached out towards him. He pulled her up, wrapping his arms around her, still singing as Puck grabbed his guitar to back him up.

_Oh, yeah_  
><em>Just to get one step closer to you<em>

When he had left, she had told herself it wasn't meant to be. But maybe, she was wrong. Maybe, despite what she had been telling herself since their break-up in June, she _was _in love with Sam.

And as she leaned in to kiss him, she was pretty darn sure of it. He was too.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so that one-shot was kind of random. I was walking around listening to "One Step Closer" and it just popped into my head. I couldn't, though, really think of how to weave it together that well. It isn't my <strong>_**best **_**writing, far from it-my Samcedes (and all my other writing) is usually **_**way **_**better than this…then again, I'm my worst critic. But still, my writing is usually a lot better.  
><strong>

**Anyways, super excited that Chord is coming back!**

**And please review! Please, please, please!**

**Song: "One Step Closer" (Shane Harper)  
><strong>


End file.
